Portable truck grain elevator



R. L. KOOIKER PORTABLE TRUCK GRAIN ELEVATOR Nbv. 13, 1945.

Filed Feb. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Mi hard, 4 ,c/m z ATTONW. 13, 1945. R. 1.. KOOIKER 2,388,921

PORTABLE TRUCK GRAIN ELEVATOR Filed Feb. 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOPatented Nov. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE TRUCK GRAINELEVATOR Ralph L. Kooiker, Hull, Iowa.

Application February 10, 1943, Serial No. 475,458

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a portable grain elevator.

An object of my invention is to provide a portable elevator which can bequickly and readily attached to a truck such as a'grain truck or thelike and transported to any location, thence quickly detached and usedfor filling grain bins and the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide a portable grain elevatorof this type which can be conveniently elevated to any desired height.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for transportingthe elevator with a certain structure included therewith to provide aminimum number of parts so that the elevator will be of a minimum weightand to provide a two-wheeled structure for normal transportation withoutmakin the device too bulky, etc.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hopper construction atthe lower end of the elevator which can be removed so that the lower endof the elevator can be inserted into the restricted openings in grainbins when it is desired to elevate grain from the bins to a wagon,truck, etc.

A further object of my invention is to provide a driving arrangementwhich is simple in construction and yet which maintains a constantuniform driving engagement regardless of the position of the elevator.

A further object of my invention is to provide an elevator constructionwhich includes very few parts and to further provide a construction ofthis type which Will not become clogged.

A further object of my invention is to provide a foldable elevator whichcan be folded when in carrying position so that it will not be of unduelength and after being folded can be then extended to normal lengthenedposition with a certain convenient control therefor.

With these and other objects inview, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of mydevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the arrangement,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 2-2 ofFig. 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines 3-3 ofFig. l,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Fi 1,

' Figure 6 is a detail of the clutch and idler pulley arrangement,

Fig. '7 is a further detail,

Figure-8 is a detail,

Figure 9 is a further detailed view of Figure 8,

Figure 101s a detail, and

Figure 11 is a detail.

I have used the character Hi to designate the elevator housing which isof substantially U -shape and which includes the bottom H and the sidesl2, which sides terminate in the flanges l3. The

discharge end of the elevator is indicated by the character 14 which isopen in the usual manner and which is attached at [5 to the suitablespout [6. When being transported, the spout l6, which can be made of thereversible type, can be turned around and inclined to the position asshown by the dotted structure and hooked at I! to the elevator housing.

Pivotally attached beneath the housing is the rod I8 which is attachedto the arms I9 which receive the elevator housing therebetween, whichterminate at 20. Attached to the arms l9 at 2| are the cables 22 whichpass over the pulleys 23 which pulleys 23 are journalled on short shafts24 which shafts 24 are attached at 25 to the upper ends of theupstanding vertical beams 26,

the beams 26 receiving between the chute or housing 10.

Attached to the members 26 at .21 are the brace rods 28 which areattached at 29 to the motor framework or any other portions of the arranement, and the members 26 are further pivoted at 30 to the ears 3! whichears 3| are attached to the bed plate 32. Mounted on the plate 32 is asuitable motor of any desired type, such as an internal combustion typeor the like which is indicated by the character 33 and which is adaptedto drive the pulley 34 over which pulley passes the belt 35.

Suitably attached to the plate or base 32 are a pair of springs 36 whichare attached to the hubs 31 of the pair of wheels 38, the otherextremity of the springs being attached at 39 to a pair of forwardlyprojecting beams 40 in which beams 40 are journalled at 4| to the shaft42 (see Fig. 3). Attached to the shaft 42 at one side thereof is thelarger pulley 43 over which passes the belt 35. Also journalled on theshaft 42 are the bearings 44 which are attached to the lower deck orbottom I l of the chute or housing I0.

Attached beneath one of the beams 40 is a bracket 45 in which bracket ispivoted at 46 (see Fig. 6) the rod 41 which extends through a furtherbracket 43 which is attached to the other beam 60 at the other side ofthe arrangement. Extending from the rod 41 is the arm 49 whichterminates in the handle 55, and a lock member 51 passes through the arm49 into the keeper 52 which includes the slot 52a therein so that themember which is engaged through the slot with the threaded nut 5la canbe tightened to maintain the arm 49 in any fixed position. The keeper 52is pivotallysecured at 52b (see Figures 8 and 9).

Attached at 53 to the rod 4'! is a further arm 54 which terminates inthe pulley 55 which pulley 55 is adapted to be pulled against the beltto act as an idler as well as mean for starting the.

handle 59 is pulled over toward the left as shown in Fig. 1, the pulleywill be brought into ongagement with the belt. The member 5! will thenpermit tightening at any desiredposition.

The cables v22, after passing over the upper pulleys 23, pass over theWindlass 56 whichis attached to the shaft 51 which is suitablyjournalled at 58 to a bracket 59 atone side of the chute, and the otherend of the shaft 51 being attached to a suitable worm gear enclosed inthe housing 60, which worm gear is driven by a worm attached to theshaft 6| which is turned by means of the handle 62. Attached interiorlyof the large pulley 43 is a sprocket 63 over which passes the chain 64which chain passes over the further idler sprocket 65 and thence overthe further sprocket 66 which sprocketBB. drives the elevatingarrangement, the elevating arrangement comprising the continuous chain51 which is attached to, the bars or grain paddles 68 and which travelsover an upper d ck fi'll which is spaced above the bottom of theelevator housing. 7

Attached at 1D to the lower end of the housing (see Fig. 1) is aresilient flap H which includes an opening Ha (see Figure 10) iorallowing the chain -6 to pass therethrough and which flap is bent andcontinually displaced by the bars 68 as the g ain is being elevatedupwardly along the elevator chute and along the deck 69. This providesmeans for preventing clogging of the lower portions of theelevatorinwardly of the sprocket 66 which otherwise would fall throughthe opening at 12 and have a tendency to jam or clog the arrangement. e

The hopper is indicated by the character :13 and includes the inclinedside walls 14 and the end Walls l5 and 16, the end walls 16 including asuitable opening at 11. Attached to the hopper sides M are the lugs 18which receive the spring boltsfiS which are pivotally attached at to thesides of the elevator chute with the control hand nuts Bl serving as ameans to release the spring bolts 79 from engagement, with the hopperwhich is separated as shown at 82 from the balanceof the chute, so thatin this manner, the hopper can be readily removed from, or attached to,the lower end of the chute. L

- Straddling the arcuate lower end of the chute is ,the substantiallyU-shaped member 83 which is attached to the further U-shaped hitchmember 84 which is'adapted to normally allow attachment to theprojecting hitchingportions of the truck (see Figure 11).

It will now be seen from the foregoing description that the device canbe transported in the dotted position as shown :in Fig. lwhereinthehitch V attachment 85 ,is attached to the member 84 with the device thusbeing transported and with the spouts lfibeing attached or otherwise.When it is desired to raise grain from the lower position of the truckinto the bin, the device will occupy the position as shown in Fig. l,with the lower end resting on a block such as 86 or on the ground, andthe grain is shoveled into the hopper l3 and the engine is started, withthe idler or clutch pulley 55 bein operated as explained, whereby thegrain will be elevated upwardly and thence through the spout I6. Thedesired elevation is obtained by turning the crank handle 62 which, inturn, rotates the Windlass 56, reeling the cables 22 thereon, whichallows any selective po- 's'itionof the arrangement.

The detachable hopper 13 provides a desirable arrangement wherein it ispossible to convey the grain directly from the grain bin upwardly into atruck or the like, in which case the hopper 13 is removed, as explained,and the arrangement is pushed rearwardly so that the lower end of thechute I0 projects into the grain bin a fairly substantial distance. Thegrain is then thrown from inside the bin into the lower end of the chuteand carried upwardly in the same manner. This is especially desirable ingrain bins since only restricted openings are usually provided at thebottoms thereof, which allows reception of the reduced portion of thechute therein.

If it is desired to pass the framework through a smaller opening, as isusual in many cases, the attachment points at 29 of the braces 28 areremoved, and due to the pivotal engagement at 30, the beams 26 can beswung to a nearly horizontal position so that the entire portablestructure can be moved through lower openin sand the like. Durintransportation of the light arrangement, it is desired to preventrattling and vibration, and to provide this result I provide thelengthened rod 81 which passes through the opening 88 in one of themembers 26 and is threadably engaged at 89in the other member, and therod 81 includes the handle portions 98 so that the member 81 canb'einserted through the opening 88 and 89 and threadably engaged therewith,thereby looking the chute in fixed and rigid position as shown in Fig. 5which will prevent the aforesaid shaking, vibration, and the like.

The arrangement such as described is of minimum weight, and I have foundthat it need not weigh more than approximately eight-hundred poundsincluding the' entire framework, engine, and all, and it provides abalancin effect so that it can even be pushed about by one man ifnecessary, wherein the lower end can be readily lifted off of the groundafter detachment from the conveying vehicle and brought to any desiredlocawherein the chute l0 ismade up of the two sec-' tionssuch as 9! and92. The section 91 includes the flange 93 attached thereto, and thesection 92, a further flange 94 which flanges abut against each other.Attached to the flange 4, which flanges, of course, are at either sideof the chute portion 62, are the overlapping cars 95, the upper ears ofwhich are attached by means of suiti able bolts 96, and passing throughthe lower ears.

95 is a rod 96a which passes beneath the chute and through the otherears 95 at the other side thereof.

It will be understood that the ears 95 engage suitable ears on theflanges 93. Also attached at each side of the chute ID are the members91 which are attached at 98 to the, sides of the chute (see Fig. 7),which members include the cylindrical portion 99 and the expandedcylindrical portion I00, the portion I being adapted to be disposedlaterally beyond the cable 22. Attached at |U| to the member 40 are apair of bracket members I02 which terminate in a cradle member I03 whichcradle member is substantially U-shaped to receive the end of the chute92.

In transporting the structure and before transportation .thereof, thelower rod at 99a is removed, leaving =the upper bolts 95 in position.The member 8'! is then locked in position and the windlass 56 is thenoperated which pivots the upper portion 92 about the portion 9|, sincethe portion 9| will be held in horizontal position.

The cables 22 are wound until the members 91 receive the same betweenthe sides of the chute and the portion I00 and the chute end 92 willfall to the position as shown by the dotted structure in Fig. 1, anduntil it is received by the cradle I03, where it will be retained ininoperative and transporting position. In this manner the device can betransported to any location without the extra length extending behindthe trailer structure.

When it is again desired to use the chute arrangement, the forward endof the unit is lowered as shown in Fig. l and the windlass is operateddrawing the cables 22 which, due to the engagement of the cables 22about the members 91, will raise the portion 92 towards a verticalposition, and then when the forward end of the arrangement substantiallyat 84 is raised slightly, the

member 92 will fall over past center and then can be released slowlyuntil the members 9| and 92 are in alignment. The bar 96a is againreplaced, thereby resulting in the completed chute structure ready foruse which can then be manipulated again for the purpose intended.

It will now be seen that my invention provides all of the advantagesenumerated heretofore and includes many other advantages readilyapparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my inven tion without departing from the real spirit andpurpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim anymodified forms of structure Or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

A portable elevator comprising an elevator chute, a framework supportingsaid chute including a pair of vertical beams receiving the chutetherebetween, said chute being pivotally attached to said framework, awindlass attached to said chute, pulleys attached between said verticalbeams, cables attached to said chute passing over said pulleys and tosaid windlass to provide means for elevating said chute to desiredelevation, said chute including a forward section, a rearward sectionpivoted to said forward section, means for folding said rearward sectionover said forward section to provide a reduced length to the elevatorwhen' being transported, means for extending said rearward section tocompleted length including side members attached to said rearwardsection adapted to engage said cables, whereby raisable movement of saidcables will pivot said rearward section on said forward section to saidcompleted length, a cradle member attached to said framework forsupporting said rearward section when in folded position.

RALPH L. KOOIKER.

